Will Scarlet Hermits Host in Turbo Shells?

[b.branscombe]

?

 

[jmicky41]

My scarlets don't seem to - I have several smaller turbo snail shells laying around, but the crabs haven't used them. They do use astrea shells though. They seem to prefer longer shells with a long opening like ceriths and smaller conchs.

 

[J. Montgomery]

A fellow reefer was over at my place recently, when he spotted my zebra hermit crab he told me they get to be big and were the meanest hermits he had seen. He had one kill a turbo and take its shell.

That type of behavior doesn't seem like scarlet hermit behavior, but if it grew big enough . . .

 

[LeslieH]

Some hermit species have very definite shell preferences. Often these preferences correlate to body shape and the shape of the big claws.

 

[dendro982]

The local dollar store has a lot of different shaped and sized shells, better to give the hermit a choice

 

[nYgel]

Yeah, my scarlet killed 6 turbos and took their shells, he didnt even fit in them very well. He fell off a rock onto his back and couldnt get up so I had to save him. He might have been an exception, he was crazy, he ate bubble algae, aptasia, hair algae, he was amazing, but deadly.

 

[petoonia]

My hermits have been great. The only one that killed a snail was my electric blue.

 

[chelskisw6]

those electric blues are mean... cool looking, but mean!

i always buy the smallest hermits i can, and stick to blue legs, they have killed every nassarius snail i had, and now they are all hosting in the nass. shells.